Photo by Daniel R. Blume via Flickr Jonathan Goldstein: Myth-busting media portrayal of gun crimes — and why the truth matters A Decrease font size. A Reset font size. A Increase font size. When it comes to causes of death in the United States, where do you think homicide ranks? Maybe tenth? Eighth? Higher? If you base your answer on media coverage, you might think homicides come in first and are the leading cause of death. That’s because media outlets cover homicide deaths far more than other deaths.